A 57-year-old IAS officer and his wife,a manager with a public sector bank,were found dead in their government flat in Kaka Nagar in the heart of Delhi on Friday evening.

K Vijay Kumar,an officer of the level of joint secretary to the central government,had his throat slit. His wife Sita was found hanging from the fan.

The flat was locked on the inside and nothing appeared to be missing,police sources said. Kumar was Adviser,Costing with the union food ministry,a post he had taken up on August 30. Sita worked for Canara Bank.

The couples daughter,who had been to Rajasthan with friends,returned home in the afternoon and rang the bell for over 30 minutes before calling her fathers office. She was told that Kumar had not been to work. She reportedly also rang her fathers cellphone,but got no answer. Kumars colleagues informed police,who arrived around 5 pm and broke open the door.

The house was not ransacked. Sita was hanging from the ceiling fan,with her knees touching the floor. Vijay was lying dead with a slit throat, an officer said.

The couples maid,who lives in the servants quarters,has told the police that she had rung the doorbell around 7.30 am,and received no answer.

Police sources the couple had CCTV cameras inside their home,and investigators would see the footage.

We have registered a case of murder and formed three teams to investigate. We have also contacted the CBI. Forensic teams are working, joint commissioner (Southeastern Range) Vivek Gogia said.